Finding planets via gravitational microlensing

TL;DR

This paper reviews gravitational microlensing as a method for detecting and characterizing exoplanets, discussing recent discoveries, techniques, challenges, and future prospects including space missions.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of microlensing theory, numerical methods, detection efficiency, and recent statistical results, highlighting advances and future directions in the field.

Findings

Over 200 planets detected via microlensing since 2003

Microlensing is effective for detecting cold planets beyond the snow line

Future space missions will extend sensitivity to Mars-mass planets

Abstract

Since the first microlensing planet discovery in 2003, more than 200 planets have been detected with gravitational microlensing, in addition to several free-floating planet and black hole candidates. In this chapter the microlensing theory is presented by introducing the numerical methods used to solve binary and triple lens problems and how these lead to the characterisation of the planetary systems. Then the microlensing planetary detection efficiency is discussed, with an emphasis on cold planets beyond the snow line. Furthermore, it will be explained how the planetary characterisation can be facilitated when the microlensing light curves exhibit distortions due to second order effects such as parallax, planetary orbital motion, and extended source. These second order effects can be turned to our advantage, and become useful to ultimately better characterise the planetary systems, but they can also introduce degeneracies in the light curve models. It will be explained how the use of modern observational and computational techniques enables microlensers to solve these degeneracies and estimate the planetary system parameters with very high accuracy. Then a review of the main discoveries to date will be presented while exploring the recent statistical results from high-cadence ground-based surveys and space-based observations, especially on the planet mass function. Finally, future prospects are discussed, with the expected advances from dedicated space missions, extending the planet sensitivity range down to Mars mass.